The present invention relates to a programmable electronic messaging system, and more particularly to an internet based messaging server programmable to divert an incoming e-mail message to one of a plurality of different electronic delivery mechanisms based upon messaging tasks as defined for a prescribed time period.
As e-mail messaging technology continues to evolve and advance, it is becoming increasingly a more prevalent form of communication. As more and more individuals rely on e-mail as their principle form of communication, it is increasingly becoming important that it""s accessibility also continues to evolve.
In the past, e-mail messages were typically transmitted from one computer terminal to another, in which the e-mail message is transmitted from the sender to a recipient, and after being transmitted from the sender, it would typically reside in a messaging server (the e-mail account for the recipient) until such a time as the recipient would access the server to retrieve the recipient""s e-mail messages residing in the server. With continuing advancements in communication technology, now not only PC terminals can transmit e-mail messages, but almost any device capable of transmitting electronic data can now both send and retrieve e-mail messages (e.g., cellular telephones, hand-held computer devices having wireless communication capabilities, etc.)
However, eventhough e-mail messages can now be both more easily be sent and retrieved, there are still many instances when an e-mail recipient is not capable of retrieving an e-mail formatted message (e.g., the recipient does not readily have access to an e-mail receiving device). Thus, there still remains a need to improve and expand e-mail accessibility as well as efficiency.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a method for re-transmitting an e-mail message transmitted from a sender to a recipient based upon time criteria and preferably other predetermined criteria to enable a recipient to retrieve e-mail messages based upon time criteria for conventionally enabling the recipient to retrieve e-mail messages.
The method includes the steps of defining at least two different sets of criteria to be satisfied in the address block of the e-mail message for initiating messaging tasks wherein each set of criteria has unique associated messaging tasks and prescribing at least one time period for performing time based messaging tasks. A determination is then made for determining if the e-mail message was received within the at least one time period. The e-mail message is re-transmitted in accordance with the defined messaging tasks for the prescribed time period if the e-mail message was determined to be received within the prescribed time period.
Further, the address block of the e-mail message is interrogated to determine if predetermined criteria from at least one of two different sets of criteria has been met in the sender addressing information portion of the e-mail message. And re-transmitting the e-mail message to the recipient such that the recipient receives at least the messaging information content of the e-mail message at a location other than the recipients intended e-mail account in accordance with the messaging tasks associated with one of the two different sets of criteria that has be met in the sender addressing information portion of the e-mail message.